Those are the six most beloved words in the history of UA athletics. In 1926, while he lay dying from wounds sustained in a car accident, John "Button" Salmon uttered these words to Coach McKale. The popular Salmon was a varsity athlete and UA student body president. A monument was erected to him outside McKale Center in 1986. The university's second gymnasium was renamed "Bear Down Gym" in Salmon's honor. The words "Bear Down" are also painted on the roof of the building.
